Setting the Stage
• Army and Navy will meet on the gridiron for the 113th time when they square off on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kickoff is set for 3:10 pm Eastern.
• The winner of the Army-Navy game will take home the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, which is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major Service Academies and is named in honor of the President of the United States. Navy has won the trophy 12 times, while Army has claimed it six times. This year’s game marks the first time since 2005 that the trophy was on the line in the Army-Navy game and just the sixth time since the trophy’s inception in 1972.
• Navy is 2-3 all-time against Army when the two teams met with the trophy on the line.
• Navy enters the contest looking to defeat Army for a series-record 11th straight year. Before Navy started this historical run, the longest winning streak in the series, which was first played in 1890, was five games (by both teams). Navy has outscored Army, 349-112 (34.9-11.2) during its 10-game winning streak.
• The Mids have won 13 of the last 15 games against Army dating back to 1997.
• Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo is trying to become just the third coach in school history to start his coaching career at Navy with a 5-0 record against Army. Paul Johnson turned in a 6-0 mark against West Point (2002-07), while Wayne Hardin won his first five games (1959-63) before losing.
• CBS Sports Network will air the Army-Navy Special Presented by USAA on Friday at 7:00 pm ET as the network looks ahead to Saturday’s game.
• CBS Sports Network will air two special editions of INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL on Saturday prior to the game. INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ARMY-NAVY MARCH ON presented by USAA (12:00-1:30 pm, ET) and INSIDE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ARMY-NAVY TAILGATE presented by USAA (1:30-2:30 pm, ET). Hosts Adam Zucker and Brent Stover will be joined at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia by analysts Randy Cross, Brian Jones and Ron Zook, as well as special guests from the academies. The MARCH ON SPECIAL features the March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen and Corps of Cadets as they march onto Lincoln Financial Field, while ARMY-NAVY TAILGATE previews the game with in-depth news and analysis, as well as interviews from both head coaches.
• CBS Sports will start their coverage at 2:30 pm with a 30-minute pregame show followed by the 113th playing of the Army-Navy game at 3:00 pm with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson calling the action.
• Dial Global Radio Network has the national radio rights with John Tautges, Terry Donahue and Lewis Johnson calling the action. Dial Global will also air a one-hour pregame show starting at 2:00 pm.

Game Day Festivities
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 12:16 pm and the March-On of the Corps of Cadets will take place at 12:46 pm.
• The Service Academy exchange of Cadets and Midshipmen will take place at 2:46 pm, while the Golden Knights and Leapfrogs will jump at 2:50 pm.
• The National Anthem will be sung by the Army Glee Club at 3:00 pm.
• Army will take the field with an Army fly-over at 3:06 pm, while Navy will take the field with a Navy fly-over at 3:07 pm.

Scouting Army
• The 2-9 Black Knights destroyed Air Force (41-21) and defeated Boston College (34-31) of the ACC while suffering losses to San Diego State (42-7), Northern Illinois (41-40), Wake Forest (49-37), Stony Brook (23-3), Kent State (31-17), Eastern Michigan (48-38), Ball State (30-22), Rutgers (28-7) and Temple (63-32).
• Army is the No. 1 rushing team in the country, averaging 369.8 yards per game.
• Senior quarterback Trent Steelman is 26th in the country in rushing, averaging 104.7 yards per game, and 22nd in scoring, averaging 9.1 points per game. He has rushed for a school-record 1,152 yards and a program-record 44-career rushing touchdowns, passing Army Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis.
• Slot back Raymond Maples has rushed for 1,059 yards and two touchdowns on 196 carries and ranks 36th in the nation in rushing.
• Linebacker Geoffrey Bacon has had a phenomenal season, ranking seventh in the country with 11.1 tackles per game.
• Linebacker Nate Combs is 25th in the country in tackles for a loss, averaging 1.3 per game.

The Last Time … Navy 27, Army 21 Dec. 10, 2011 | Landover, MD.
• Senior Jon Teague kicked fourth quarter field goals of 23 and 44 yards as Navy defeated Army, 27-21, for a record 10th consecutive year, in front of a crowd of 80,789 at FedExField that included President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
• Navy jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of Army fumbles. Army’s Raymond Maples fumbled a pitch and senior defensive end Jabaree Tuani recovered the ball at the Army 26 on the Black Knights’ second possession of the game.
• Six plays later, senior quarterback Kriss Proctor scored from the four to give Navy the early advantage.
• After the two teams traded punts, Army’s Jared Hassin was stripped of the ball by Tuani and junior outside linebackerBrye French recovered the ball at the Navy 45.
• On the first play after the Army fumble, Proctor scrambled for 32 yards down to the Army 23. Six plays after that, Proctor executed a perfect double option on third-and-eight from the 10 pitching to senior fullback Alexander Teich for the touchdown.
• Army, however, would come right back and cut Navy’s lead in half, as quarterback Trent Steelman directed an eight-play, 67-yard drive that was capped off by a 34-yard touchdown run to make the score 14-7.
• After the Navy offense went three and out, Army was back in business moving 63 yards in seven plays with Malcolm Brown diving over from the three to tie the game at 14 with just 49 seconds left in the first half.
• Navy took the opening kickoff of the second half and moved 48 yards in five plays to retake the lead at 21-14. After Teich’s 48-yard kickoff return put the Navy offense in business at the Army 48, backup fullback Delvin Diggs had back-to-back carries that picked up 18 yards down to the Army 30. Junior slot back Gee Gee Greene ran for 20 more yards on first down and, after a Teich eight-yard run down to the two, Proctor scored his second TD of the day.
• Once again Army would come right back, marching right through the Navy defense in six plays with Steelman hitting Brown with a 25-yard touchdown pass on third-and-seven to tie the game at 21.
• The Mids would take advantage of an Army punt by driving 75 yards in 18 plays with Teague capping the drive with a 23-yard field goal to give Navy a three-point lead. The Mids were forced to kick a field goal after lineman Graham Vickers jumped on third-and-goal from the Army 1.
• On the ensuing kickoff, freshman Noah Copeland forced Army returner Scott Williams to cough up the ball and Navy freshman Jordan Drake recovered it at the Army 27. Teague would turn the Army miscue into points with a 44-yard field goal to give Navy a 27-21 lead.
• Army got the ball back and quickly moved down the field and had the ball first-and-10 at the Navy 28 when the Navy defense came up big.
• After Brown rushed for four yards on first down, Army tried to catch Navy napping by throwing the ball but Steelman was dropped by junior linebacker Matt Warrick for a loss of five yards. Steelman would pick up four yards on third down as Tra’ves Bush came flying up from the safety position to make the stop and then on fourth down Steelman was sacked for a loss of one by Warrick to give the ball back to the Midshipmen with 4:31 left.

The Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy
• The Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies — Army, Navy and Air Force — and is named in honor of the President of the United States.
• Navy has dominated of late, winning the trophy a Service Academy record seven-consecutive years from 2003-09 and winning a Service Academy record 15 straight games against Air Force and Army in the process. Air Force has won the trophy each of the last two years.
• Navy has won the trophy a total of 12 times: 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
• When there is no clear-cut winner, the trophy remains with the winner of the previous year’s competition. • The three-sided trophy stands two-and-a-half-feet tall and is engraved with the academy seals. Reproductions of the three mascots — the Army Mule, the Navy Goat and the Air Force Falcon — are ensconced on the respective sides of this bauble. The trophy is sponsored by the West Point Association of Graduates, the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Air Force Association of Graduates.
• The year in which the trophy is won is engraved on AA plate gracing the respective academy’s side of the trophy.

Service Academy Dominance
• Navy has amassed a 82-44 (.651) overall record in the last 10 years, while Air Force is 68-55 (.553) and Army is 32-87 (.269). The Mids are 17-2 against the other two Service Academies since 2003.

Dominant Era in Army-Navy History
• Navy’s 27-21 victory over Army in 2011 was its 10th consecutive win over the Black Knights, the longest streak in series history by either team.
• The Mids have won those 10 in a row against Army in dominant fashion, outscoring the Black Knights, 349-112 (34.9-11.2).

Our Nation’s Future Leaders
• Navy’s 28 seniors received their Service Assignments on Wednesday, November 28. Graduates of the Naval Academy serve a minimum of five years in the Navy or Marine Corps, while pilots serve eight years upon earning their wings.
• 18 seniors will be commissioned Ensigns in the United States Navy, while 10 will be commissioned 2nd Lieutenants in the Marine Corps.

Navy Quick Hitters
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade, posting an 18-2 record against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2) in the last 20 meetings combined, winning seven consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to nine bowl games in the last 10 years. Navy has amassed an 82-44 (.651) overall record in the last 10 years, while Air Force is 68-55 (.553) and Army is 32-87 (.269). The 82 wins are the 21st most in the country over the last decade.
• The Midshipmen punched their ticket to the Dec. 29 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco with a 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 3. It will be Navy’s 18th bowl appearance all-time, including its ninth in the last 10 years. The Mids will take on Arizona State.
• Ken Niumatalolo has led the Midshipmen to a 39-25 (.609) record in his fifth season as head coach. He is fourth all-time at Navy in career wins. Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two (18), three (27), four (32) and five seasons (39) of a career.
• Navy’s four losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State, San Jose State and Troy) have come at the hands of opponents who are a combined 35-13 (.729). Notre Dame (12-0) is ranked No. 1 in the country and will play in the BCS National Championship Game, while San Jose State (10-2) is ranked 24th in the country.
• Navy has played six bowl eligible teams this year (counting Penn State who will not be going to a bowl due to NCAA sanctions) and compiled a 3-3 record against the six programs. The Mids defeated Air Force (6-6), Central Michigan (6-6) and East Carolina (8-4) and lost to Notre Dame (12-0), Penn State (8-4) and San Jose State (10-2).
• Over the last nine games (7-2), Navy has outscored the opposition in the second half, 146-80. The Navy defense has allowed just eight touchdowns in the second half of the last nine contests.
• The Mids have turned the ball over 12 times in their four losses and five times in their seven wins.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 63 tackles (fourth most on the team), a team-high 13.5 tackles for a loss, a team-high six sacks, has forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. He is just two sacks away from third on Navy’s single-season sacks list.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991. Meanwhile, he is just the third freshman in school history to start at quarterback (the other was Alton Grizzard in 1987). Reynolds is 5-1 as a starting quarterback with wins over Central Michigan, Indiana, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic and Texas State and a loss to Troy. He also came off the bench with Navy down eight points to Air Force and led the Mids to an overtime victory. Kubiak won just one game as a freshman starter (beat a 5-5 Army team) and Grizzard won two (lost to Army). Reynolds is the first Navy quarterback to win his first four career starts since senior Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is averaging 45.1 yards per punt (34 punts) this season and should his average hold, he would become the school’s single-season record holder. John Skaggs currently holds the single-season punting record at 44.8 yards per punt in 2001. Beltran would stand 10th nationally if he qualified (must average 3.6 punts per game).
• Navy was 4-0 during the month of October after going 0-5 last year in October. It is the first time Navy went undefeated in the month of October since 1996. That Navy team finished 9-3 and defeated California in the Aloha Bowl.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy owns an 82-44 (.651) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 82 wins are the 21st most in the country over the last decade.
• Navy is trying to finish No. 1 in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game for the second consecutive year and for the third time in the last four seasons. The Mids are currently second in penalties (3.4 /gm) and in penalty yards per game (26.5).
• Navy is 3-0 this year and 30-4 (.882) under Niumatalolo when scoring first and 4-4 this year and 9-21 (.300) under Niumatalolo when the opponent scores first.
• The Mids are 3-0 ths year and 24-3 (.889) under Niumatalolo when leading after the first quarter and 4-4 this year and 15-22 (.405) under Niumatalolo when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy is 6-0 this year and 27-4 (.871) under Niumatalolo when leading at the half and 1-4 this year and 11-22 (.333) under Niumatalolo when tied or trailing at the half.
• Navy is 5-0 this year and 31-3 (.912) under Niumatalolo when leading after three quarters and 2-4 this year and 7-23 (.233) under Niumatalolo when tied or trailing after three quarters.
• Navy owns a 19-7 (.731) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 20-18 (.526) away from home.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Texas State will meet on the gridiron for the first time when they square off on Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 3:34 pm Eastern.
• Navy enters the weekend looking to win on Senior Day for a 10th consecutive year. The last time Navy lost on Senior Day was on Nov. 16, 2002, when the Mids lost to Connecticut in a monsoon, 38-0.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, former Oakland Raider Pro Bowl tight end Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch calling the action.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:04 pm. The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• A salute to Navy’s 27 seniors will take place at 3:22 pm.
• Saturday’s fly-over (3:31 pm) will be two F-18’s out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• Between the first and second quarter, the Navy men’s and women’s tennis teams will be recognized.

Scouting Texas State
• Texas State is 3-6 on the year and coming off a 62-55 loss to No. 20 Louisiana Tech.
• The Bobcats own victories over Houston (30-13), Stephen F. Austin (41-37) and Idaho (38-7). They have losses against Texas Tech (58-10), Nevada (34-21), New Mexico (35-14), San Jose State (31-20) and Utah State (38-7) along with Louisiana Tech.
• Former Navy slot back Marcus Curry leads Texas State with 513 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 84 carries. He also has 11 catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
• Quarterback Shaun Rutherford has completed 129 of his 200 passes for 1,454 Yards and 11 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Rutherford is also Texas State’s second-leading rusher with 388 yards and four touchdowns on 119 carries.
• Andy Erickson is Rutherford’s favorite target with 33 catches for 426 yards and three touchdowns, while Chase Harper has caught 20 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
• Jason McLean leads the defense with 58 tackles and four passes broken up, while Xavier Daniels had 51 stops, four passes broken up, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.

Navy Vs. The WAC
• Navy is 2-2 all-time against teams that are currently in the WAC. The Mids are 2-0 against Louisiana Tech and 0-2 against San Jose State.
• The Mids lost to San Jose State earlier this year, 12-0.

Navy Quick Hitters
• The Midshipmen punched their ticket to the Dec. 29 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco with a 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic on Nov. 3. It will be Navy’s 18th bowl appearance all-time, including its ninth in the last 10 years.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2), winning seven-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to nine bowl games in the last 10 years.
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• Ken Niumatalolo has led the Midshipmen to a 38-25 (.603) record in his fifth season as head coach. He is tied for fourth all-time at Navy in career wins with Wayne Hardin. Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two (18), three (27), four (32) and five seasons (38) of a career.
• Navy’s four losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State, San Jose State and Troy) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 29-11 (.725) on the year. Notre Dame (10-0) is currently ranked third in the country and San Jose State (8-2) is receiving votes.
• Over the last eight games (6-2), Navy has outscored the opposition 132-70 in the second half. The defense has allowed just seven touchdowns in the second half of those contests.
• The Mids turned the ball over 12 times in the first four games (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) and went 1-3. Over the next five games, Navy turned it over just twice and went 5-0. Last week against Troy, Navy lost two fumbles and lost to the Trojans, 41-31. The Mids have turned the ball over 12 times in their four losses and four times in their six wins.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 57 tackles (fourth most on the team), a team-high 11.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high six sacks, has forced a fubmle and recovered a fumble. He is just two sacks from third on Navy’s single-season sack list.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991. Meanwhile, he is just the third freshman in school history to start at quarterback (the other was Alton Grizzard in 1987). Reynolds is 4-1 as a starting quarterback with wins over Central Michigan, Indiana, East Carolina and Florida Atlantic and a loss to Troy. Kubiak won just one game as a freshman starter and Grizzard won two. Reynolds is the first Navy quarterback to win his first four starts since senior Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979. The Mids started 6-0 that year and finished 7-4 with a victory over Army.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is averaging 45.2 yards per punt (30 punts) this season. He would stand ninth in the country in punting if he qualified (must average 3.6 punts per game) and that average would be a school record for Navy in a single season.
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 13 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. He is 9-for-11 on field goals and 32-for-32 on extra-points.
• Navy was 4-0 during the month of October after going 0-5 last year in October. It is the first time Navy went undefeated in the month of October since 1996. That team finished 9-3 and defeated California in the Aloha Bowl.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy owns an 81-44 (.648) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 81 wins are the 21st most in the country over the last decade.
• Navy is trying to finish No. 1 in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game for the second consecutive year and for the third time in the last four seasons. The Mids are currently tied for second in penalties (3.4) per game and third in penalty yards per game (26.6)
• Navy is 29-4 (.879) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 9-21 (.300) when the opponent scores first.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 23-3 (.885) when leading after the first quarter and 15-22 (.405) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy owns a 18-7 (.720) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 20-18 (.526) away from home.

Spreading The Wealth
• Navy has had a remarkable 17 different players score a touchdown this year, including 14 players that have scored their first career touchdown.
• The 17 different players scoring TD’s are tied with Marshall for the second most in the country.
• Navy has had 14 different players score their first career touchdown this year, which is the most of any team in the country.

Wetzel A Star In And Out Of The Classroom
• Outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel has enjoyed a spectacular senior campaign, recording 57 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks, a pass break-up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
• He leads the Mids in sacks and tackles for a loss.
• He is just two sacks away from third place on Navy’s single-season sacks list.
• Wetzel is also a star in the classroom, carrying a 3.89 grade-point average in systems engineering (honors courses). He is an Academic All-America candidate and has already been named all-district.
• Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT test and is believed to be the only current FBS player that garnered a perfect score on his SAT.

Greene Having Standout Senior Campaign
• A starter in each of the last 35 games dating back to the 2010 season, senior slot back Gee Gee Greene is having his best season yet in 2012 leading the Mids in rushing (90-679, 7.5 avg, 2 TDs) and is fourth in receiving (12 catches for 242 yards, 20.2 yards per catch, 2 TDs).
• He is averaging 7.5 yards per carry this year, which is the second-best average for a single season in school history. The record is 8.3 set by Shun White in 2008.
• Greene is trying to join White as the only other slot back to lead the team in rushing. White rushed for 1,092 yards in 2008.
• In his career, Greene has rushed for 1,925 yards on 267 carries and scored nine touchdowns, while catching 42 passes for 697 yards and seven touchdowns. He needs 201 more yards to pass Adam Ballard for 10th on Navy’s all-time rushing list and would join White as one of only two slot backs in the Top 10.
• He has averaged 7.2 yards per carry over his career, which is the program’s fifth-best rushing average, and 16.6 yards per reception.

Starting A Freshman At QB
• Keenan Reynolds became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991, when he guided the Midshipmen to a 31-13 victory over Central Michigan.
• Navy finished 1-10 in 1991 (1-5 with Kubiak as the starter) with its only victory coming against a 5-5 Army team in the final game of the season, 24-3.
• Reynolds is just the third freshman in program history to start at quarterback, joining Kubiak and Alton Grizzard, who started seven games at quarterback in 1987 (Navy was 2-5 with Grizzard as the quarterback and 0-4 without him).
• In his first-career start against Central Michigan, Reynolds completed six of his 11 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 59 yards in leading Navy to a 31-13 victory. His three touchdowns passing are the most by a Navy quarterback since Chris McCoy threw three against Colgate in 1997.
• Reynolds won his second career start, rallying Navy to a 31-30 victory over Indiana. He rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and completed eight of 13 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. His four-yard TD pass to junior Matt Aiken with 2:02 left gave Navy the win.
• Reynolds improved to 3-0 as a starter with a nearly flawless performance against East Carolina as Navy rolled over the Pirates, 56-28. Reynolds led the Mids to touchdowns on seven of his eight drives and totaled 132 yards of total offense and five touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing).
• Reynolds won his fourth straight start with a 24-17 win over Florida Atlantic. He rushed for a career-high 159 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries and completed eight of his 15 passes for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns.
• Reynolds suffered his first defeat as a starting quarterback in his fifth-career start against Troy. He carried the ball 21 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns, while completing eight of his 15 pass attempts for 159 yards.
• In his first five starts, Reynolds has rushed for 495 yards and eight touchdowns on 98 carries (99.0 yds/gm, 5.1 yds/carry) and has comleted 33 of his 59 pass attempts (.559) for 589 yards (117.4 yds/gm) with eight touchdowns and just one interception. He has had at least one rushing touchdown in four of his five starts and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in four of his five starts.
• Reynolds was the first Navy quarterback to win his first four career starts since Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979. The Mids started 6-0 that year and finished 7-4 with a victory over Army.
• Reynolds is believed to be just the third TRUE freshman to win his first four career starts at quarterback. Notre Dame’s Matt LoVecchio won his first seven starts as a true freshman in 2000 and USC’s Matt Barkley won his first six starts in 2009.
• Reynolds is far short of qualifying for the NCAA passing efficiency leaderboard (you must average 15 pass attempts per game), but if he did qualify his 177.49 efficiency rating would lead the country. Oregon freshman Marcus Mariota leads the country with a 176.96 rating.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Troy will meet on the gridiron for the second time in as many years when they square off Saturday afternoon at Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm Eastern.
• Navy enters the weekend having won five consecutive games. The last time Navy won six games in a row came at the start of the 1979 season when the Mids defeated The Citadel, Connecticut, Illinois, Air Force, William & Mary and Virginia.
• Saturday’s game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3 with Dave Weekley and Forrest Conoly calling the action.

Scouting Troy• Troy owns a 4-5 record this fall, but has close losses to Mississippi State (30-24) and Tennessee (55-48).

• The Trojans are ranked 50th in the country in rushing offense (173.7 yards per game), 15th in passing offense (315.0 yards per game), 15th in total offense (488.7 yards per game) and 53rd in scoring offense (30.11).
• Quarterback Corey Robinson has completed 184 of his 290 passes for 2,199 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. His backup, Deon Anthony, has completed 59 of his 86 passes for 635 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception.
• The leading receiver for the Owls is Chip Reeves, who has 47 catches for 804 yards and five touchdowns, while Eric Thomas has 44 catches for 521 yards and six touchdowns.
• Running back Shawn Southward is the leading rusher with 793 yards and nine touchdowns on 153 carries.
• The defense is ranked 72nd against the run (168.4 yards per game), 103rd against the pass (266.3 yards per game), 90th in total defense (434.8) and 81st in scoring defense (30.0).
• The defense is led by Brynden Trawick, who has 68 tackles and 4.5 tackles for a loss, while Brannon Bryan has recorded 56 tackles and a pick.

The Last Time … Navy 42, Troy 14 Oct. 5, 2011 | ANNAPOLIS, MD.
• Senior quarterback Kriss Proctor, playing with a dislocated left (throwing) elbow, completed four of his six pass attempts for 127 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns to lead Navy to a 42-14 rout of Troy in front of a Senior Day crowd of 33,359 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The victory broke a six-game losing streak for the Mids.
• Proctor, who only played in the first half, directed Navy to five touchdown drives in seven possessions as the Mids built a 35-0 halftime lead.
• The Navy defense, which had been much maligned during the Mids’ losing skid, was superb, holding Troy to just 99 yards of total offense in the first half and forcing two turnovers.
• Nose guard Jared Marks recorded the first big play of the day on Troy’s first possession when he recovered a Corey Robinson fumble on the Navy 24-yard line.
• Six plays later, Navy converted the turnover into points as Proctor scored from the one. Earlier in the drive, Proctor hitBrandon Turner for 25 yards on a screen pass on third-and-12 and hit slot back John Howell on the next play for 42 yards down to the Troy 11.
• Navy’s second touchdown was also set up by the defense as freshman Parrish Gaines stripped Shawn Southward andCollin Sturdivant recovered at the Navy 35-yard line. It was the first-career caused fumble for Gaines and the first-career recovery for Sturdivant.
• It took Navy just two plays to move the 65 yards to paydirt with Proctor hitting Gee Gee Greene for 48 yards and a touchdown to cap the drive and the rout was on.
• The Mids would score three more times in the second quarter as fullback Alexander Teich scored on a five-yard run off an option pitch from Proctor, Greene scored on a 10-yard run and Proctor scored from five yards out.
• Senior slot back Mike Stukel capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
• Senior slot back Aaron Santiago, who returned from a broken arm earlier than anybody expected including the doctors, showed no rust in his first game since Sept. 10, leading the Mids with 80 yards rushing on six carries.

Navy Rallies To Beat Florida Atlantic
• Freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds piled up 306 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to lead Navy to a 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic in front of 29,326 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win was Navy’s sixth of the year and clinched a berth to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. It is Navy’s ninth bowl game in the last 10 years.
• The Mids trailed 10-0 with 8:57 left in the second quarter, before Reynolds got Navy going with a 48-yard run down to the FAU 33.
• On the next play, Reynolds hit sophomore slot back Ryan Williams-Jenkins with a 22-yard pass down to the 11-yard line and three plays later, on third-and-13, Reynolds hit senior wide receiver Brandon Turner with a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut the FAU lead to 10-7.
• Florida Atlantic drove down to the Navy 15 on its next possession, but on third down Jonathan Wallace threw incomplete out of the wildcat formation and then on fourth down Wallace was stopped for no gain by sophomore nose guard Danny Ring on a screen pass from quarterback Graham Wilbert.
• The Mids took over at their own 15 with 2:10 left in the half and quickly drove down the field. Reynolds hit junior wide receiver Shawn Lynch, who made a spectacular over the shoulder catch, for 28 yards to move the ball down to the FAU 43. Reynolds then threw a screen pass to sophomore fullback Noah Copeland for 25 yards to get the ball to the FAU five-yard line. Two plays later Reynolds scored from the one to give Navy the 14-10 halftime lead.
• Navy took the second half kickoff and methodically moved down the field, but bogged down at the FAU 31-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-eight, Niumatalolo elected to go for it instead of kicking a 48-yard field goal into the wind. The gamble paid off as Reynolds hit senior wide receiver Brandon Turner with a 31-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-10.
• Freshman kicker Nick Sloan made a 20-yard field goal with 2:08 left in the third quarter and it appeared that Navy was in command. However, the Mids allowed Florida Atlantic back in the game thanks to a costly turnover.
• Reynolds left the game in the fourth quarter with a hyperextended elbow and on the next play, junior quarterback Trey Miller and senior fullback Prentice Christian fumbled the mesh (the fumble was credited to Christian) and FAU’s Andrae Kirk recovered the ball at the Navy 39.
• Seven plays later FAU scored on a three-yard touchdown run by Wallace and the Navy lead was cut to 24-17.
• The Mids took the ball and moved to the FAU 30-yard line, but on third-and-one sophomore slot Geoffrey Whitesidelost four yards on an errant pitch by Reynolds and Sloan missed wide left on a 51-yard field goal.
• With a chance to tie Florida Atlantic moved the ball down to the Navy 17-yard line, but Wilbert threw three straight incompletions, the last one forced by sophomore defensive end Paul Quessenberry, and the Mids got the ball back with 4:10 remaining at their own 22.
• Navy ran out the clock as Reynolds carried the ball five consecutive times for 24 yards and two first downs.
• Reynolds finished the day with a career-high 159 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, while he threw for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns (8-15).
• Turner had the two touchdown catches for 45 yards, while Lynch had two catches for 32 yards.
• Sophomore corner Parrish Gaines, senior linebacker Brye French, senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel and senior safety Tra’ves Bush paced Navy with seven tackles apiece. Freshman corner Kwazel Bertrand had his first career fumble recovery to go along with his six tackles.

Navy Quick Hitters
• The Midshipmen punched their ticket to the Dec. 29 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park in San Francisco last Saturday with a 24-17 victory over Florida Atlantic. It will be Navy’s 18th bowl appearance all-time, including its ninth in the last 10 years.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2), winning seven-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to nine bowl games in the last 10 years.
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• Navy’s three losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State and San Jose State) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 22-5 (.815) on the year. Notre Dame (9-0) is currently ranked fourth in the country, while Penn State (6-3) is receiving votes. San Jose State (7-2) has received votes in the polls this year, as well.
• Over the last seven games (6-1), Navy has outscored the opposition 122-57 in the second half. The defense has allowed just six touchdowns in the second half of those contests.
• The Mids turned the ball over 12 times in the first four games (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) and went 1-3 in those four games. Over the last five games, Navy has turned it over just twice and are 5-0.
• Ken Niumatalolo has led the Midshipmen to a 38-24 (.613) record in his fifth season as head coach. He is tied for fourth all-time at Navy in career wins with Wayne Hardin. Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two (18), three (27), four (32) and five seasons (38) of a career.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 52 tackles (fourth most on the team), a team-high 11 tackles for a loss and a team-high six sacks. He is just two sacks from third on Navy’s single-season sack list.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991 and is just the third freshman in school history to start at quarterback (the other was Alton Grizzard in 1987). Reynolds is 4-0 as a starting quarterback with wins over Central Michigan, Indiana, East Carolina and Florida Atlantic. Kubiak won just one game as a freshman starter and Grizzard won two. Reynolds is the first Navy quarterback to win his first four starts since senior Bob Powers, who won his first six career starts in 1979. The Mids started 6-0 that year and finished 7-4 with a victory over Army.
• Sophomore punter and Ray Guy candidate Pablo Beltran is averaging 44.7 yards per punt (27 punts) this season. He would stand 11th in the country in punting if he qualified (must average 3.6 punts per game).
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 12 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. He is 8-for-10 on field goals and 28-for-28 on extra-points.
• Navy was 4-0 during the month of October after going 0-5 last year in October. It is the first time Navy went undefeated in the month of October since 1996. That team finished 9-3 and defeated California in the Aloha Bowl.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy owns an 81-43 (.653) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 81 wins are the 21st most in the country over the last decade.
• Navy is trying to finish first in fewest penalties and fewest penalty yards per game for the second consecutive year and for the third time in the last four seasons. The Mids are currently tied for first with Kansas State in fewest penalties per game (3.44) and fewest penalty yards per game (26.44).
• Navy is 29-4 (.879) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 9-20 (.310) when the opponent scores first.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 23-3 (.885) when leading after the first quarter and 15-21 (.417) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy owns a 18-7 (.720) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 20-17 (.541) away from home.

ANNAPOLIS, Md.– Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced after Saturday’s victory over Florida Atlantic that the Naval Academy has qualified to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 29 at AT&T Park in San Francisco against a projected opponent from the Pac-12. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. in San Francisco (4:00 p.m. in Annapolis) and will be televised nationally by ESPN2.

This will be Navy’s second trip to San Francisco for a bowl game. In 2004, 18,000 Navy fans, including more than 2,000 midshipmen, jammed what was then Pac Bell Park to see Navy defeat New Mexico, 34-19.

“Based on our visit in 2004, we have seen first hand that the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is a magnificent overall environment and event,” said Gladchuk. “The city of San Francisco, the stadium, the hospitality from the community, the bowl administration and the beauty of Northern California present as fine a postseason experience as we could possibly enjoy. The Academy is sincerely grateful to Gary Cavalli and his staff for inviting us back and setting the stage for our team to earn an enjoyable trip to the West Coast and an inspiring matchup versus an opponent from the Pac-12.”

“I am very happy for our young men and our program that we are going back to a bowl game for the ninth time in the last 10 years,” said Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo. “This group has shown an amazing amount of resiliency after starting 1-3 and they never stopped fighting or believing. Our only focus right now is on our final three regular season games, but we are thrilled to be going back to San Francisco.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring Navy back to San Francisco, said Gary Cavalli, the Executive Director of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. “Navy’s first appearance in 2004 really put our bowl on the map. They bring a huge fan base, a ton of pageantry and one of the hottest football teams in America. We look forward to providing a great bowl experience for the Navy players and fans, and hosting a great match-up with the Pac-12.”

Tickets for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl are on sale now at www.navysports.com.

Tickets can also be purchased starting Monday morning at 9 a.m. by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or at the Ricketts Hall Box Office.

Ticket prices are $25 (Upper Level End Zone), $40 (Upper Level Corner), $50 (Upper Level Sideline and Lower Level End Zone and Corner), $60 (Lower Level Sideline and Sideline Bleacher behind the team bench) and $75 (Club). The only way to sit with the Navy contingent is to buy your tickets through the Navy ticket office.

Fans can also purchase tickets to sponsor midshipmen and enlisted personnel and their families for $50 per ticket. Donated tickets are 100% tax deductible.

“We strongly encourage Navy fans to buy their bowl tickets directly from the Naval Academy Athletic Association,” said Gladchuk. “It is very important for this game and for future Navy bowl considerations for our fans to purchase tickets through the NAAA. If you can’t make it to the game we ask that Navy fans buy tickets for our midshipmen and enlisted personnel, which will allow us to create the usual pageantry of Navy football.”

Setting the Stage
• Navy and East Carolina will meet on the gridiron for the fourth time when they square off Saturday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000). Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm.
• East Carolina won last year’s game in a thriller, 38-35, on Homecoming in Annapolis. Back-up quarterback Trey Miller came off the bench to throw 59 and 37-yard touchdown passes to give Navy a 35-31 lead, but ECU won the game on a three-yard touchdown run by Reggie Bullock with 2:14 left to play.
• Navy’s last trip to Greenville resulted in a 76-35 victory over East Carolina on Nov. 6, 2010.
• Navy enters the weekend having won three consecutive games overall and two straight on the road. The last time Navy won four in a row came at the end of the 2010 season when the Mids won at East Carolina, beat Central Michigan and Arkansas State at home and then beat Army in Philadelphia. Navy last won three straight road games in 2009 when the Mids won at Wake Forest, at Air Force and at Northern Illinois.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by Fox College Sports with Adam Alexander, Gary Reasons and Leslie McCaslin calling the action.

Scouting East Carolina
• The Pirates are 5-3 on the year with victories over Appalachian State (35-13), Southern Miss (24-14), UTEP (28-18), Memphis (41-7) and UAB (42-35). The Pirates have lost to South Carolina (48-10), North Carolina (27-6) and UCF (40-20).
• Quarterback Shane Carden has completed 141 of his 219 passes for 1,685 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
• Carden’s favorite target is wide receiver Justin Hardy, who has 51 catches for 749 yards and eight touchdowns. Hardy is tied for 18th in the country in receiving yards per game (93.6).
• Running back Vintavious Cooper is the leading rusher with 630 yards on 111 carries with three touchdowns.
• The defense is led by Jeremy Grove, who has 55 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. Damon Magazu has recorded 48 tackles and two pass break-ups.
• ECU ranks 103rd in the country in rushing offense (117.5), 41st in passing offense (265.0), 78th in total offense (382.5) and 77th in scoring offense (25.8).
• The Pirates rank 32nd in rush defense (123.1), 102nd in pass defense (269.5), 61st in total defense (392.6) and 56th in scoring defense (25.3).

The Last Time … East Carolina 38, Navy 35 OCT. 22, 2011 | ANNAPOLIS, MD.
• East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis completed 40 of his 45 pass attempts for 372 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 38-35 victory over Navy in front of 34,612 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Homecoming.
• Davis completed an NCAA-record 26-consecutive passes to start the game as the Pirates built a 17-7 halftime advantage thanks to touchdown passes of three yards to Lance Lewis and 10 yards to Michael Bowman.
• The Mids lost starting quarterback Kriss Proctor to an injured left elbow midway through the second quarter when he was hit late by East Carolina’s Matt Milner. Proctor was replaced by sophomore Trey Miller, who moved the ball down to the ECU 38-yard line before fumbling the snap and East Carolina’s Michael Brooks recovered it. ECU would score a touchdown on the ensuing series.
• Navy’s Marcus Thomas returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to cut the ECU lead to 17-14. It was Navy’s first kickoff return for a TD since Reggie Campbell returned one against Army in 2007. Meanwhile, it was the fourth-longest return in school history.
• After the Pirates answered with a one-yard touchdown run by Reggie Bullock, the Mids cut the lead to three again when Alexander Teich took the toss from Miller and scored from the one to make the score 24-21.
• Bullock, however, would answer again for East Carolina, this time scoring on a 13-yard run with 14:53 left in the game.
• Navy would come right back and make it 31-28 when Miller hit Brandon Turner with a 59-yard touchdown pass. The Mids took their first lead of the game since going up 7-0 when Miller threw a strike to Matt Aiken for a 37-yard touchdown pass to give Navy a 35-31 lead with 7:51 left.
• ECU took the ensuing kickoff and marched 77 yards in 15 plays, milking 5:37 off the clock, and took a 38-35 lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Bullock.
• The Mids got the ball back at their own 28 with 2:14 left and Miller quickly went to work.
• On the most controversial call of the game, Miller hit Aiken down the left sideline at the two-yard line on third down. Aiken made a spectacular grab, secured the ball, got two feet down, turned and dove over the goal line. After breaking the plane, he landed a yard inside the end zone and the ball came loose. The officials on the field called it an incomplete pass, however Navy challenged the ruling on the field. The official in the replay booth confirmed the ruling on the field setting up a third-and-10. Miller hit Aiken over the middle for eight yards with 22 seconds left giving Navy plenty of time to get the field goal team on the field.
• With eight seconds left, the field goal team was in place. Teague got the ball off fast and high, but it clanged off the right goal post, sending the Mids to their fifth-straight loss.

Navy Vs. Conference USA
• Navy is 25-28-1 (.472) all-time against teams currently in Conference USA.
• Navy, Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF are all future members of the BIG EAST.

Navy Quick Hitters
• Opening the year against Notre Dame in Dublin and at Penn State was the toughest opening two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two opponents from BCS conferences just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did the Mids go on to have a winning record.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2), winning seven-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to eight straight bowl games from 2003-10.
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• Since 2003, Navy has won 19 games against schools from a BCS conference. The 19 wins against BCS schools during that time period are the most in the country by a non-BCS school. Navy’s wins against BCS schools have come against Vanderbilt (`03, `04), Duke (`04, `05, `06, `07), Rutgers (`04, `08), Stanford (`06), Connecticut (`06), Pitt (`07), Notre Dame (`07, `09, `10), Wake Forest (`08, `09, `10), Missouri (`09) and Indiana (`12).
• Navy’s three losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State and San Jose State) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 17-4 (.810) on the year. Notre Dame (7-0) is currently ranked fifth in the country, while Penn State (5-2) is receiving votes in the AP Poll (it is ineligible for the USA Today/Coaches Poll). San Jose State (5-2) was receiving votes before being knocked off by Utah State, 49-27, two week ago.
• Navy’s victory over Indiana last Saturday was the Mids’ first over a Big Ten opponent since winning at Illinois in 1979 and the first win over a Big Ten opponent in Annapolis since defeating Purdue in 1926.
• Navy has 12 players from the state of North Carolina on its roster.
• Navy is 25-28-1 (.472) all-time against teams currently in Conference USA.
• Over the last 11 years, Navy has consistently been one of the nation’s top rushing teams, never finishing lower than sixth. The Mids are currently 13th in the country in rushing (236.7).
• The Navy defense has given up just 79 points over the last five games (20 quarters plus one overtime), allowing three points to VMI, 12 to San Jose State, 21 to Air Force, 13 to Central Michigan and 30 to Indiana. It is the fewest points allowed over a five-game stretch since 2009.
• For the seventh year in a row, the Naval Academy finished in the top five in the country for graduating NCAA student-athletes on the FBS level. Navy graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes in six of the 20 NCAA sports reported. Overall, 96 percent of Navy’s student-athletes that enrolled from 2000-03 graduated.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate and a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 36 tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high four sacks. He has also recovered a fumble and broken up a pass.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991 and is just the third freshman in school history to start at quarterback (the other was Alton Grizzard in 1987). Reynolds is 2-0 as a starting quarterback with wins over Central Michigan and Indiana. Kubiak won just one game as a freshman starter and Grizzard won two.
• Navy has played 12 true freshmen so far this year, which is tied as the ninth most in the country.
• Navy has had 17 players make their first career starts this fall, which is the fourth most in the country.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is off to a great start in 2012, averaging 45.1 yards per punt (25 punts). He would stand 10th in the country in punting if he qualified (must average 3.1 punts per game).
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 16 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. He is 7-for-7 on field goals and 17-for-17 on extra-points. He is one of just two kickers in the country that has not missed a kick all year (field goals or extra-points). The other is Jeremy Shelly of No. 1-ranked Alabama.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy owns a 79-43 (.648) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 79 wins are tied as the 21st most in the county during that time period.
• Senior guard Josh Cabral and slot back Gee Gee Greene have started 32 consecutive games for the Midshipmen, while senior linebacker Matt Warrick has started 21 in a row and senior safety Tra’ves Bush 17 straight.
• Navy has turned the ball over 12 times this season (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011 (nine lost fumbles and six interceptions). The Mids have not turned the ball over in the last three games.
• Navy is 28-4 (.875) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 8-20 (.286) when the opponent scores first.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 22-3 (.880) when leading after the first quarter and 14-21 (.400) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy owns a 17-7 (.708) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 19-17 (.528) away from home.
• Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two seasons (18), three seasons (27) and four seasons (32) of a career.

Defensive Scores
• Jordan Drake’s 24-yard interception return for a touchdown against Indiana was Navy’s second interception return for a touchdown this year. Matt Warrick had a seven-yard interception return for a touchdown against VMI in the third game of the season.
• The two defensive scores are the most by a Navy defense in the same season since 2008 when Navy had three defensive touchdowns (Ram Vela interception return against Army, Clint Sovie fumble return against Temple andRashawn King fumble return against Wake Forest).
• It is the first time that Navy has returned two interceptions for a touchdown in the same season since 2004 when David Mahoney (Rutgers) and Josh Smith (Army) turned the trick.

Looking For Four-Straight Wins
• Navy will be looking to win its fourth consecutive game for the first time since the end of the 2010 season when the Midshipmen won four in a row to end the regular season (76-35 over East Carolina, 38-37 over Central Michigan, 35-19 over Arkansas State and 31-17 over Army) .

Keeping The Opponents Off The Scoreboard
• The Navy defense has given up just 79 points over the last five games (20 quarters plus one overtime), allowing three points to VMI, 12 to San Jose State, 21 to Air Force, 13 to Central Michigan and 30 to Indiana.
• It is the fewest points Navy has allowed over a five-game stretch since 2009 when the Mids surrendered a combined 79 points to Notre Dame (21), Delaware (18), Hawai’i (24), Army (3) and Missouri (13).

Navy vs. the BCS / Non-BCS
• Since 2003, Navy has won 19 games against schools from a BCS conference. The 19 wins against BCS schools during that time period, which have come against 10 different teams, are the most in the country by a non-BCS school.
• Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo has eight wins against teams from a BCS conference since taking over the program at the end of the 2007 season.
• Navy’s 19 wins against BCS schools have come against Vanderbilt (`03, `04), Duke (`04, `05, `06, `07), Rutgers (`04, `08), Stanford (`06), Connecticut (`06), Pitt (`07), Notre Dame (`07, `09, `10), Wake Forest (`08, `09, `10), Missouri (`09) and Indiana (`12).

Freshman Kicker
• Freshman Nick Sloan beat out five other kickers in preseason camp to earn the job as Navy’s kicker on field goals and PATs. He made his first career field goal attempt from 26 yards against Notre Dame and also made his only PAT attempt.
• He is 7-for-7 on field goals and 17-for-17 on extra-points for the year. He is one of only two kickers in the country that has not missed a kick (extra point or field goal) this fall. The other is Jeremy Shelly, the starting kicker for No. 1-ranked Alabama.
• Sloan is one of just 16 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. His 38 points are tied for the ninth most by a freshman this season.
• He is the first freshman to start at kicker for Navy since 1996 when Tim Shubzda started multiple games, including the opener against Rutgers. Shubzda connected on four-of-six field goal attempts and all six of his PAT’s as a freshman, splitting time with Jason Covarubbias and Tom Vanderhorst.

Close Calls
• Navy lost five games in 2011 by a total of 11 points. The five losses by eight points or less were tied for the fifth most in the country and cost the Mids a ninth-consecutive bowl game.
• The Mids are 2-0 this year in close encounters, knocking off Air Force by seven in overtime and beating Indiana by one.
• The Mids are 16-13 (.552) under head coach Ken Niumatalolo in games decided by eight points or less.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Indiana will meet for the third time on the gridiron when they square off Saturday afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000). Kickoff is set for 3:34 pm and the presenting sponsors for Saturday’s game are SAIC and Verizon Wireless.
• This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1986 when Indiana won 52-29 in Bloomington. Navy is scheduled to open up the 2013 season in Bloomington on Sept. 7.
• Indiana’s trip to Annapolis will mark the first Big Ten team to play at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since 2002 when Northwestern defeated Navy, 49-40.
• Saturday is Homecoming for Navy. Navy is 38-24 all-time on Homecoming, but have lost two straight and five of the last six on Homecoming. Last year, Navy lost to East Carolina, 38-35. Navy’s last win on Homecoming came in 2009 when the Mids edged Wake Forest, 13-10.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, former Oakland Raider Pro Bowl tight end Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick-Burch calling the action.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:09 pm. The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• Saturday’s fly-over will be two F-18’s and will take place at 3:31 pm. The pilots are based out of China Lake, Calif.
• Legendary Navy cross country coach Al Cantello will be honored at the second timeout in the first quarter. Cantello is in his 50th year coaching at the Naval Academy and his 45th as the head men’s cross country coach. Since his arrival, the Midshipmen have been one of the most consistent men’s cross country programs, both regionally and nationally. In 44 seasons at the helm of the cross country program, Cantello boasts a 241-69-1 career record. Last season, Cantello led the Mids to their fourth consecutive Patriot League Championship, while garnering conference coach of the year accolades for the fourth straight season.
• Between the first and second quarter, the Naval Academy Athletic Association will honor the Navy women’s basketball team. Head coach Stefanie Pemper guided the Mids to their second straight Patriot League title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. Navy defeated Holy Cross in the championship game, 57-48, as sophomore Jade Geif was named the Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season. The Mids fought valiantly before falling to Maryland, 59-44, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting Indiana
• The Hoosiers are 2-4 on the year with victories over Indiana State (24-17) and Massachusetts (45-6) and hard luck losses to Ball State (41-39), Northwestern (44-29), Michigan State (31-27) and Ohio State (52-49).
• Indiana is the only team in the country not to lose a fumble this year and its two turnovers are the fewest in the country.
• Quarterback Cameron Coffman has been solid in replacing injured starter Tre Roberson, completing 108 of his 172 passes for 1,076 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception.
• Shane Wynn is Coffman’s favorite target with 31 catches for 294 yards and five touchdowns. Cody Latimer has 27 catches for 431 yards and two touchdowns.
• Stephen Houston has rushed for 368 yards and six touchdowns on 63 carries, while D’Angelo Roberts has carried the ball 50 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
• On defense, Adam Replogle leads the Hoosiers with 41 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks, while David Cooper has 39 tackles and four tackles for a loss.
• Indiana ranks 71st in the country in rushing offense (160.0), 15th in passing offense (313.0), 27th in total offense (473.0) and 32nd in scoring offense (35.5).
• The Hoosiers rank 109th in rush defense (221.2), 77th in pass defense (242.7), 103rd in total defense (463.8) and 92nd in scoring defense (31.8).

The Last Time …
Indiana 52, Navy 29 Sept. 20, 1986 | Bloomington, Ind.
• Indiana capitalized on four Navy turnovers and made good use of five big plays on offense to hand the Midshipmen a 52-29 defeat.
• The five key plays for the Hoosiers netted them 222 yards of offense and they added a 59-yard interception return that went for a touchdown. The Mids fumbled the ball over on their second play from scrimmage in the game, with Indiana halfback Damon Swezy breaking loose for a 59-yard TD run on the next play.
• John Berner’s seven-yard run pulled the Mids even, but Indiana added a field goal late in the first period and then erupted for 28 second-quarter points, 21 of them the result of turnovers.
• Navy bounced back in the third period with 19 points, as tailback Chuck Smith scored from the four and from the one. But the Hoosiers stemmed the comeback with a touchdown of their own, a 33-yard run by quarterback Dave Kramme.

Navy Vs. The Big 10
• Navy is 26-42-3 (.387) all-time against teams currently in the Big 10 Conference.
• The Mids lost earlier this year to Penn State, 34-7. Navy last beat a team from the Big 10 in 1979 when Navy beat Illinois, 13-12.
• Navy is scheduled to play at Indiana on Sept. 7, 2013, and will play host to Ohio State on Aug. 30, 2014, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Navy Quick Hitters
• Opening the year against Notre Dame in Dublin and at Penn State was the toughest opening two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two opponents from BCS conferences just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did the Mids go on to have a winning record.
• Navy last beat a team from the Big 10 in 1979 when Navy beat Illinois in Champaign, 13-12.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2), winning seven-consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s Trophies from 2003-09 and going to eight straight bowl games from 2003-10.
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• The Navy defense has given up just 49 points over the last four games (16 quarters plus one overtime), allowing three points to VMI, 12 to San Jose State, 21 to Air Force and 13 to Central Michigan. It is the fewest points Navy has allowed over a four-game stretch since 1981 when the Mids surrendered a combined 46 points to Yale (23), Air Force (13), Boston College (10) and William & Mary (0).
• Since 2003, Navy has won 18 games against schools from a BCS conference. The 18 wins against BCS schools during that time period are the most in the country by a non-BCS school. Navy’s wins against BCS schools have come against Vanderbilt (`03, `04), Duke (`04, `05, `06, `07), Rutgers (`04, `08), Stanford (`06), Connecticut (`06), Pitt (`07), Notre Dame (`07, `09, `10), Wake Forest (`08, `09, `10) and Missouri (`09).
• Navy’s three losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State and San Jose State) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 14-4 (.778) on the year. Notre Dame (6-0) is currently ranked fifth in the country, while Penn State (4-2) is receiving votes in the AP Poll (it is ineligible for the USA Today/Coaches Poll). San Jose State (4-2) was receiving votes before being knocked off by Utah State, 49-27, last week.
• For the seventh year in a row, the Naval Academy finished in the top five in the country for graduating NCAA student-athletes on the FBS level. Navy graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes in six of the 20 NCAA sports reported. Overall, 96 percent of Navy’s student-athletes that enrolled from 2000-03 graduated.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate and a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field for the Midshipmen, recording 28 tackles, a team-high 5.5 tackles for a loss and a team-high four sacks. He has also recovered a fumble and broken up a pass.
• Over the last 11 years, Navy has consistently been one of the nation’s top rushing teams, never finishing lower than sixth. The Mids are currently 14th in the country in rushing (233.3).
• Navy has played 11 true freshmen this year, which is tied for the 15th most in the country.
• Navy has had 15 players make their first career starts this fall, which is tied for the fourth most in the country.
• Keenan Reynolds is the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since Jim Kubiak started five games in 1991. Reynolds won his first-career start, 31-13 over Central Michigan.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is off to a great start in 2012, averaging 45.5 yards per punt (22 punts). He stands 10th in the country in punting, while Navy is 16th in the country in net punting (40.7).
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 16 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. He is 6-for-6 on field goals and 13-for-13 on extra-points. He is one of four kickers in the FBS that has yet to miss a kick (field goal or extra point).
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games, winning six of its last seven.
• Navy is tied for 94th in the country in red zone offense, scoring on just 13 of 18 chances. Five of the 13 scores have been field goals. The Mids are 7-7 in the red zone the last two games (4-4 against Air Force and 3-3 against Central Michigan).
• The Mids are ranked 25th in the country in red zone defense, allowing 13 scores on 18 opportunities. Six of the 13 scores have been field goals.
• Navy owns a 78-43 (.645) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 78 wins are tied for the 22nd-most wins in the country during that span.
• Senior guard Josh Cabral and slot back Gee Gee Greene have started 31 consecutive games for the Midshipmen, while senior linebacker Matt Warrick has started 20 straight games.
• Navy is 28-4 (.875) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 7-20 (.259) when the opponent scores first.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 22-3 (.880) when leading after the first quarter and 13-21 (.382) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• The Mids are 18-5 (.783) under Niumatalolo when rushing for 300 yards or more and 17-19 (.472) when the offense is held under 300 yards rushing.
• Navy has turned the ball over 12 times this season (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011 (nine lost fumbles and six interceptions). Junior quarterback Trey Miller has been responsible for 10 of Navy’s 12 turnovers (seven fumbles and three interceptions) with five of those turnovers coming inside the opponent’s 30-yard line.
• The Navy offense has lost nine fumbles this year after losing just nine fumbles in 12 games a year ago. The Mids are tied for the sixth most lost fumbles in the country.
• Indiana is the only team in the country not to lose a fumble this year and its two total turnovers are the fewest in the country.
• Navy ranks 99th in the country in third down offense, converting just 25 of 52 tries (.347). The Mids are 11-17 (.647) on fourth down, which ranks 31st in the country.
• The Navy defense ranks 100th in third down defense, giving up 34 conversions in 73 attempts (.466). The Mids held Central Michigan to 2-10 (.200) third down conversions last week.
• Opponents, however, are just 2-for-8 (.250) when going for it on fourth down against the Navy defense, which ranks as the 15th best fourth down defense in the country.
• Navy owns a 16-7 (.696) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 19-17 (.528) away from home.
• Niumatalolo holds Navy coaching records for most wins in the first two seasons (18), three seasons (27) and four seasons (32) of a career. His 35 wins in five seasons is tied with Wayne Hardin for second-most.

Reynolds Leads Mids To 31-13 Victory Over Central Michigan
• Freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds threw for 134 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 59 more yards to lead Navy to a 31-13 victory over Central Michigan.
• Reynolds, who was the first freshman to start at quarterback at Navy since Jim Kubiak in 1991, is the first Navy quarterback to throw three touchdowns since Chris McCoy against Colgate in 1991.
• Navy won the coin toss and elected to receive with Reynolds promptly driving the Mids 74 yards on eight plays. On the first play of the game he hit senior slot back Bo Snelson down the middle for 26 yards and on the final play of the drive he hit senior wide receiver Brandon Turner with a 23-yard touchdown strike to put the Mids up 7-0.
• After a Central Michigan field goal, Reynolds led Navy on a 66-yard drive, this time hitting senior slot back Gee Gee Greene with a 19-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-3.
• Central Michigan cut Navy’s lead to 17-13 thanks to a touchdown right before the end of the half, followed by a field goal on the first drive of the third quarter. Navy, however, answered with an 11-play, 61-yard drive that ate up 5:29 on the clock as senior fullback Prentice Christian scored his first career touchdown from two yards out to push the Mids’ lead to 24-13.
• After the Navy defense held the CMU offense to a three-and-out, Reynolds hit Greene with a 41-yard touchdown pass on the first play to make the score 31-13.
• Sophomore fullback Noah Copeland led the Mids in rushing with 70 yards on 15 carries, while Christian tacked on 64 yards on 13 carries.
• The Navy defense was sensational all night, playing perhaps its best game of the year against the high-powered Chippewa attack.
• Navy held Central Michigan to 221 yards of total offense, including just 70 on the ground. CMU managed just 12 first downs against the Mids.
• Sophomore corner Parrish Gaines led Navy with seven tackles and a tackle for a loss, while senior safety Tra’ves Bushrecorded six tackles. Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel was in on five tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a pass break-up, while senior defensive end Wes Henderson recorded four tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack and a pass break-up.

Looking For Three-Straight Wins
• Navy will be looking to win its third consecutive game for the first time since the end of the 2010 season when the Midshipmen won four in a row to end the regular season (76-35 over East Carolina, 38-37 over Central Michigan, 35-19 over Arkansas State and 31-17 over Army) .

Keeping The Opponents Off The Scoreboard
• The Navy defense has given up just 49 points over the last four games (16 quarters plus one overtime), allowing three points to VMI, 12 to San Jose State, 21 to Air Force and 13 to Central Michigan.
• It is the fewest points Navy has allowed over a four-game stretch since 1981 when the Mids surrendered a combined 46 points to Yale (23), Air Force (13), Boston College (10) and William & Mary (0).

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Central Michigan will meet for the third time on the gridiron when they square off Friday night at Kelly/Shorts Stadium (30,255). Kickoff is set for 8:00 pm.
• Navy, who leads the series, 2-0, won a thrilling 38-37 decision over Central Michigan in 2010 when the Chippewas were unable to capitalize on a two-point conversion with four seconds remaining in the contest. The Mids also beat the Chippewas in 2003, 63-34.
• Friday night’s game will be Navy’s first trip to Central Michigan. Furthermore, this will be the Mids’ first trip to the state of Michigan since 2006 when Navy defeated Eastern Michigan, 49-21, at Ford Field.
• Friday’s game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 with Carter Blackburn, Rod Gilmore and Jemele Hill calling the action.

Navy Quick Hitters
• Opening the year against Notre Dame in Dublin and at Penn State was the toughest opening two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two BCS opponents just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did the Mids go on to have a winning record.
• Navy’s three losses this season (Notre Dame, Penn State and San Jose State) have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 13-3 on the year (.813). Notre Dame (5-0) is currently ranked seventh in the country, while San Jose State (4-1) and Penn State (4-2) are both receiving votes.
• Navy has been the dominant Service Academy over the last decade going 18-2 against Army (10-0) and Air Force (8-2).
• Navy will join the BIG EAST for football only starting in 2015.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT and is believed to be the only current FBS player in the country to accomplish such a feat. He carries a 3.89 GPA in systems engineering and is an Academic All-America candidate. Wetzel has also been a force on the field, recording 23 tackles, four tackles for a loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery this season.
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran is off to a great start in 2012, averaging 45.4 yards per punt (19 punts). He stands 12th in the country in punting, while Navy is 20th in net punting (40.1).
• Freshman Nick Sloan is one of just 16 true freshman kickers starting in the FBS this year. He is 5-for-5 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra-points. He is one of five kickers in the FBS that has yet to miss a kick.
• Over the last 11 years, Navy has consistently been one of the top rushing teams in the country, never finishing lower than sixth.
• Navy owns a 6-3 record all-time in overtime games and has won six of its last seven games that went to overtime.
• The Mids are ranked 19th in the country in red zone defense, allowing 11 scores in 16 opportunities. Last week against Air Force, the Navy defense did not allow a score on three Falcon opportunities.
• Navy owns a 77-43 (.642) record over the last 10 years after posting a 3-30 (.091) mark from 2000-02. The 77 wins are tied for the 22nd-most wins in the country during that span.
• Senior guard Josh Cabral and slot back Gee Gee Greene have started 30 consecutive games for the Midshipmen.
• The Mids have been shut out in the first quarter in nine of the last 13 games dating back to last year and have not scored a touchdown in the first quarter in 12 of the last 14 contests.
• Navy has been outscored, 37-3, in the first quarter this year and 89-23 in the first quarter over the last 14 games dating back to last year.
• Navy is 27-4 (.870) under Ken Niumatalolo when scoring first and 7-20 (.259) when the opponent scores first.
• Navy has turned the ball over 12 times this season (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011 (nine lost fumbles and six interceptions). Junior quarterback Trey Miller has been responsible for 10 of Navy’s 12 turnovers (seven fumbles and three interceptions) with five of those turnovers coming inside the opponent’s 30-yard line.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 21-3 (.875) when leading after the first quarter and 13-21 (.382) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy has been held under 300 yards rushing in 10 of its last 17 games and the Mids are just 2-8 (.200) in those games (Army in 2011 and Air Force in 2012 are the two wins)
• The Mids are 18-5 (.783) under Niumatalolo when rushing for 300 yards or more and 16-19 (.457) when the offense is held under 300 yards rushing.
• An opposing running back has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Navy in 10 of the last 17 contests. In the previous 40 games, Navy surrendered only nine 100-yard rushing games to opposing running backs.
• Navy is tied for 107th in the country in red zone offense, scoring on just 10 of 15 chances. The Mids did score on all four opportunities in the red zone the last time out against Air Force.
• The Navy offense has lost nine fumbles this year after losing just nine fumbles in 12 games a year ago. The Mids are tied for the fourth nationally for most lost fumbles.
• Navy ranks 106th in the country in third down offense, converting just 18 of 56 tries (.321).
• The Navy defense ranks 111th in third down defense, giving up 32 conversions in 63 attempts (.508). Opponents, however, are just 2-for-7 (.286) when going for it on fourth down against the Navy defense.
• Navy owns a 16-7 (.696) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Niumatalolo and is 18-17 (.514) away from home.

Scouting Central Michigan
• The Chippewas are 2-3 on the year with victories over Southeast Missouri State (38-27) and Iowa (32-31) and losses to Michigan State (41-7), Northern Illinois (55-24) and Toledo (50-35).
• Quarterback Ryan Radcliff has completed 105 of his 179 pass attempts for 1,286 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
• Radcliff’s favorite target is Cody Wilson, who has caught 33 passes for 394 yards. Titus Davis has four touchdown catches among his 19 receptions on the year.
• Zurlon Tipton leads the Chippewas in rushing with 447 yards and six touchdowns on 72 carries..
• The defense is led by Justin Cherocci, who has recorded 47 tackles on the year. Shamari Benton has been in on 40 tackles.

The Last Time … Navy 38, Central Michigan 37 Nov. 13, 2010 | ANNAPOLIS, MD.
• Quarterback Kriss Proctor, making just his third-career start, rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries to lead Navy to a thrilling 38-37 victory over Central Michigan in front of 34,333 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• In a game that featured little defense, the two teams combined for 75 points and 965 yards of total offense as Navy clinched a winning season for the eighth-consecutive year.
• The Mids trailed 24-21 at the half, but outscored the Chippewas 14-0 in the pivotal third quarter.
• Proctor put the Mids up for good with a four-yard touchdown run on Navy’s first drive of the third quarter (28-24).
• The Mids made it 35-24 on their next drive as John Howell scored his first career rushing TD from six yards out.
• Defensive end Billy Yarborough stopped a Central Michigan fake punt on the next series and the Mids would convert it to points when Joe Buckley made a 35-yard field goal with 7:27 left in the contest.
• Central Michigan answered Buckley’s field goal with a 10-play, 72-yard drive with Zurlon Tipton scoring from the one-yard line to trim the Navy lead to 38-31 with 3:04 remaining.
• The Mids would pick up just one first down on their next possession with the Chippewas stopping Gee Gee Greene for a loss of two yards on third-and-three from the Navy 38.
• After Kyle Delahooke’s 49-yard punt, Central Michigan took the ball over at its own 20 with just 1:04 left.
• After Central Michigan quarterback Ryan Radcliff threw incomplete on first down, he hit consecutive passes for 16, 24 and 25 yards to move the ball down to the Navy 15-yard line.
• After a spike and an incompletion, Radcliff hit Carl Volny for eight yards on third down and then found Cody Wilson in the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-two to pull CMU within one point. Chippewas head coach Dan Enos elected to go for the win and Radcliff’s pass in the back of the end zone was high, giving Navy a 38-37 victory.

Navy Scores Final 15 Points To Beat Air Force For The Eighth Time In The Last 10 Meetings
• Freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds came off the bench for an injured Trey Miller and led the Mids to 15 consecutive points as Navy rallied for a 28-21 overtime victory over Air Force in front of 38,927 fans at Falcon Stadium.
• The Mids trailed 21-13 with 9:03 remaining when Reynolds came on for Miller, who had reinjured his left ankle on the previous series.
• Reynolds hit senior wide receiver Brandon Turner for seven yards on first down and 10 from his own 25 and then threw a swing pass to senior slot back Gee Gee Greene for 35 yards to move the ball down to the 33.
• After sophomore fullback Noah Copeland picked up three yards on first down, Reynolds hit junior wide receiver Casey Bolena for 13 yards and a first down at the Air Force 17.
• Copeland ran for two yards on first down and then Reynolds ran it in from 15 yards out on second down to pull the Mids to within two points.
• The Mids went for two and Reynolds pitched to Copeland, who broke one tackle before diving into the end zone to tie the game.
• Navy got the ball first in overtime where it moved the necessary 25 yards in seven plays, scoring the go-ahead touchdown when sophomore guard Jake Zuzek fell on a fumbled snap between Reynolds and sophomore centerTanner Fleming in the end zone for a touchdown.
• The Navy defense, which had forced three turnovers in the first half, stood strong again in overtime as sophomore outside linebacker Josh Tate dropped Cody Getz for a gain of two on first down, senior safety Tra’ves Bush and senior linebacker Brye French stopped quarterback Connor Dietz for a gain of three on second down and then senior linebacker Matt Warrick tripped up Dietz for a loss of one on third down. On fourth-and-six from the 21, senior defensive end Wes Henderson knocked down the Dietz pass as the Navy bench stormed the field.
• Miller led the Mids with 110 yards on 18 carries, while Copeland rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Greene ran for 58 yards on nine carries.
• Bush led the Mids in tackles with 12 and recovered a fumble, while Warrick had 11 stops, including two for a loss. Junior linebacker Cody Peterson recorded a career-best 10 stops and a tackle for a loss.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel and freshman corner Quincy Adams each had a fumble recovery.
• Freshman kicker Nick Sloan was perfect on the day, making all three extra-points and going two-for-two on field goals (39 and 41 yards.) His career-long 41-yard field goal into the wind with 9:03 in the game cut the Air Force lead to 14-13.

Starting A Freshman At QB
• Starting quarterback Trey Miller injured his left ankle in the fourth quarter of the Air Force game and it is unknown at this time if he will be available for the Central Michigan game.
• If Miller is not available, Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo will turn to freshman Keenan Reynolds, who came off the bench and rallied Navy to a 28-21 overtime victory over Air Force with the Mids scoring the game’s final 15 points.
• If Reynolds gets the nod, he would be the first freshman to start at quarterback for Navy since 1991 when Jim Kubiak started five games.

Perfect Passing
• Navy was a perfect 6-for-6 passing for 74 yards against Air Force (both Trey Miller and Keenan Reynolds were 3-for-3).
• It marked just the second time in program history that Navy has had a perfect passing day. The only other time was in 2010 when Navy was 2-for-2 in a 35-17 whipping of Notre Dame at the Meadowlands.

Fumbles
• The Navy offense has lost nine fumbles this year after losing just nine in 12 games a year ago.
• The Mids are tied for the fourth-most lost fumbles in the country.

Third Down Troubles
• Navy has struggled all year to keep drives alive on offense and to get off the field on defense.
• Navy ranks 106th in the country in third down offense, converting just 18 of 56 tries (.321).
• The Navy defense ranks 111th in third down defense, giving up 32 conversions on 63 attempts (.508). Opponents, however, are just 2-for-7 (.286) when going for it on fourth down against the Mids.

Offense Struggling In The Red Zone
• Navy is tied for 107th nationally in red zone offense, scoring on just 10 of 15 chances. The Mids did score on all four opportunities the last time out against Air Force.
• Navy has scored six touchdowns, kicked four field goals, lost the ball once on downs and turned it over four times (three lost fumbles by quarterback Trey Miller and an interception by Miller).

Defense Playing Well In The Red Zone
• The Mids are ranked 19th in the country in red zone defense, allowing 11 scores on 16 opportunities. Last week against Air Force, the Navy defense did not allow a score on three Air Force opportunities.
• The opposition has scored seven touchdowns, kicked four field goals, missed a field goal, turned it over on downs twice, lost a fumble and threw an interception against Navy’s defense.

Warrick And Sloan Named Independent Players Of The Week
• Senior linebacker Matt Warrick was a physical presence in Navy’s 28-21 overtime victory at Air Force. Warrick’s 11 tackles included two tackles for loss, the last of which forced the Falcons into a final-snap 4th down-and-6 that the Midshipmen stopped to cement the comeback win. Warrick reached double-digit tackles for the sixth time in his Navy career. This is the third time in his career that he’s been named Independent Defensive Player of the Week.
• Freshman kicker Nick Sloan had a perfect day against Air Force, kicking field goals of 39 and 41 yards, and made both of his PAT attempts, helping the Midshipmen take a step toward securing the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 years.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Air Force will meet for the 45th time on the gridiron when they square off early Saturday morning at Falcon Stadium (46,692). Kickoff is set for 9:30 am in Colorado Springs (11:30 am in Annapolis).
• The game is the first leg of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, which is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major Service Academies, and is named in honor of the President of the United States.
• Air Force leads the series with the Mids, 27-17, and is 24-16 against Navy since the inception of the CIC Trophy in 1972. The Falcons are 15-6 all-time against Navy in Colorado Springs.
• Last year, the Falcons beat Navy in Annapolis, 35-34, in overtime. It was the second overtime game in the last three years between the two clubs. Navy defeated Air Force in overtime, 16-13, in 2009.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports with Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein and Otis Livingston calling the action.
• CBS Sports Network will air a pregame show at 11:30 AM
Scouting Air Force

• The Falcons are off to a 2-2 start with victories over Idaho State (49-21) and Colorado State (42-21) and losses to Michigan (31-25) and UNLV (38-35).
• Air Force is the nation’s leading rushing team, averaging 396.3 yards per game.
• The Falcons also rank 20th in total offense (500.3 yds/gm), second in net punting (44.6 yds/punt), 18th in punt returns (15.0), 17th in kickoff returns (26.8) and first in sacks alllowed (0.0).
• Senior running back Cody Getz is the second-leading rusher in the country, averaging 170.8 yards per contest. He rushed for 222 yards on 25 carries last week against Colorado State and has rushed for more than 100 yards in all four games this year. Getz is the first player in Air Force history to rush for more than 100 yards in the first four games of the year. He has seven rushing touchdowns on the year.
• Senior quarterback Connor Dietz has carried the ball 46 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 23 of his 44 passes for 416 yards with two TDs and one interception.
• Dietz’s favorite target is senior wide receiver Ty MacArthur, who has eight catches for 192 yards and has also rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
• Senior linebacker Austin Niklas leads the Air Force defense with 35 tackles, three forced fumbles and two tackles for a loss, while Brian Lindsay has 31 tackles and 1.5 tackles for a loss.

The Last Time … AIR FORCE 35, NAVY 34 OT OCT. 1, 2011 | ANNAPOLIS, MD.
• Tim Jefferson scored on a one-yard touchdown run and Parker Herrington kicked the extra-point to give Air Force a 35-34 overtime victory over Navy in front of 37,506 fans at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Oct. 1, 2011.
• Herrington’s extra-point was the game-winner thanks to a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called against Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor after Proctor had scored a touchdown on Navy’s first possession in overtime.Jon Teague, who was pushed back 15 yards on his extra-point try, kicked the ball low and it was blocked by Alex Means.
• It was a topsy-turvy game with the Falcons dominating the first quarter and Navy dominating the fourth.
• Air Force jumped out to a 14-0 lead with touchdowns the first two times it had the ball.
• The Mids cut the lead to 14-3 on their second drive, moving 61 yards in 10 plays, had to settle for a 25-yard field goal.
• The Navy defense, however, could not stop Air Force as the Falcons answered with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with tailback Asher Clark scoring from 23 yards out to give Air Force a 21-3 lead.
• The Mids made it 21-10 early in the third quarter when Proctor scored on a two-yard run.
• The Falcons looked to have put the final nail in Navy’s coffin with an eight-play, 89-yard drive that was finished off by Clark’s six-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Air Force a 28-10 lead.
• Navy, though, moved 62 yards on 14 plays with Proctor scoring from the seven to cut Air Force’s lead to 28-17.
• After the Navy defense held Air Force to a three-and-out, the Mids went 73 yards in 16 plays with Teague making a 37-yard field goal to make the score 28-20 with 2:04 left.
• Navy had to go for the onside kick and Teague pulled off a beauty as the ball took a perfect bounce into the hands of Navy wide receiver Brandon Turner giving Navy the ball at the Air Force 41.
• The Mids quickly moved down the field and scored with just 19 seconds left on a five-yard touchdown pass from Proctor to junior slot back Gee Gee Greene, who made a beautiful one-handed catch. Navy had to go for two to tie the game and Proctor did a masterful job of running the double option, pitching to fullback Alexander Teich at the last second and Teich dove inside the left pylon to tie the game at 28.
• Air Force won the toss and elected to go on defense first. Proctor took it in from the one to give Navy a six-point lead.
• After the play, Proctor was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct as he said something to AF safety Jon Davis after the play.

The Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy
• The Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies — Army, Navy and Air Force — and is named in honor of the President of the United States.
• Navy has dominated of late, winning the trophy a Service Academy record seven-consecutive years from 2003-09 and winning a Service Academy record 15-straight games against Air Force and Army in the process. Air Force has won the trophy each of the last two years.
• Navy has won the trophy a total of 12 times: 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
• When there is no clear-cut winner, the trophy remains with the winner of the previous year’s competition.
• The three-sided trophy stands two-and-a-half-feet tall and is engraved with the academy seals. Reproductions of the three mascots — the Army Mule, the Navy Goat and the Air Force Falcon — are ensconced on the respective sides of this bauble. The trophy is sponsored by the West Point Association of Graduates, the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Air Force Association of Graduates.
• The year in which the trophy is won is engraved on AA plate gracing the respective academy’s side of the trophy.

Navy Versus The Mountain West
• Navy is 19-32 (.373) all-time against teams currently in the Mountain West Conference. The Mids are 17-27 against Air Force, 0-3 against San Diego State, 0-2 against Hawai’i, 1-0 against Colorado State and 1-0 against New Mexico.
• The Mids beat Colorado State (Poinsettia) and New Mexico (Emerald) in bowl games.
• Navy has never played Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, UNLV or Wyoming.

Homecoming
• Navy has two players that hail from the state of Colorado.
• Senior starting left tackle Ryan Paulson and sophomore linebacker David Thurston are both from Broomfield, Colo.

Navy Nuggets
• Playing Notre Dame in Dublin and Penn State at State College was the toughest first two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two BCS opponents just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did Navy go on to have a winning record.
• Navy lost to Maryland in Baltimore and at home against Stanford to start the 2005 season and finished 8-4 and beat Virginia and lost to Arkansas in Little Rock in 1982 and finished 6-5.
• The Navy defense has not allowed a touchdown in nine consecutive quarters. The last touchdown the defense surrendered came with 2:23 left in the third quarter in State College when Penn State scored on a 25-yard touchdown pass. The streak is the longest by a Navy defense since 2008 when the Mids did not allow a touchdown for 10 straight quarters (fourth quarter against Notre Dame, shut out Northern Illinois, shut out Army and did not allow a first quarter score to Wake Forest).
• The Mids have been shut out in the first quarter in eight of the last 12 games dating back to last year and have not scored a touchdown in the first quarter in 11 of the last 13 games.
• Navy has been outscored, 30-3, in the first quarter this year and 82-23 in the first quarter over the last 13 games dating back to last year.
• In Navy’s last six wins it has outscored the opposition, 118-34, in the first half, including 46-3 in the first quarter.
• The Mids have suffered a first quarter turnover in the red zone in each of the last three contests.
• Navy has already turned the ball over 12 times this year (nine lost fumbles and three interceptions) after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011 (nine lost fumbles and six interceptions). Junior quarterback Trey Miller is responsible for 10 of Navy’s 12 turnovers (seven fumbles and three interceptions) with five of those turnovers coming inside the opponents’ 30-yard line.
• In the Mids’ last 10 losses, Navy has been outscored, 199-69, in the first half, including 86-10 in the first quarter.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 21-3 (.875) when leading after the first quarter and 12-21 (.364) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy has been held under 300 yards rushing in nine of its last 16 games and the Mids are just 1-8 (.111) in those games (Army in 2011 is the lone win).
• The Mids are 18-5 (.783) under Niumatalolo when rushing for 300 yards or more and 15-19 (.441) when the offense is held under 300 yards rushing.
• Navy is 27-4 (.870) under Niumatalolo when scoring first and 6-20 (.231) when the opponent scores first.
• An opposing running back has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Navy in nine of the last 16 contests. In the previous 40 games, Navy surrendered only nine 100-yard rushing games to opposing running backs.
• The shutout by San Jose State marked the first time that the Navy offense had been shut out since Oct. 14, 2006, when Rutgers defeated Navy, 34-0.
• The San Jose State game marked the first time that Navy played in a game without a touchdown since Nov. 28, 1981, when the Army-Navy game ended in a 3-3 tie.
• Navy’s 144 yards of total offense marks the second-fewest yards by Navy during the triple option era (2002-present), second only to the Connecticut game on Nov. 16, 2002, when the Mids mustered just 82 yards of total offense in the contest.
• Navy owns a 16-7 (.696) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Ken Niumatalolo and is 17-17 (.500) away from home.

Red Zone Has Become A Dead Zone For Mids
• Navy ranks 118th in the country in red zone offense, scoring on just six of 11 chances.
• The Mids have scored three touchdowns, kicked three field goals, lost the ball once on downs and turned it over four times (three lost fumbles by quarterback Trey Miller and an interception by Miller).
• The Mids rank 82nd in red zone defense, allowing 11 scores in 13 opportunities. The opposition has scored seven touchdowns, kicked four field goals, turned it over on downs once and threw one interception.

Fumbles
• The Navy offense has lost nine fumbles this year after losing just nine fumbles in 12 games a year ago. Navy and Nebraska are tied for the most fumbles lost in the country.
• The Navy defense is one of just three teams in the country that has not recovered a fumble all year. Oklahoma and Buffalo are the other two yet to recover a fumble.

Third Down Troubles
• Navy has struggled all year to keep drives alive on offense and to get off the field on defense.
• Navy ranks 92nd in the country in third down offense, converting 16 of 46 tries (.348).
• The Navy defense ranks 104th in third down defense, giving up 24 conversions in 49 attempts (.490). Opponents are just 1-4 (.250) when going for it on fourth down against the Navy defense.

Tough Schedule
• Navy’s three losses have come at the hands of opponents that are a combined 11-3 on the year.
• Notre Dame is 4-0 and ranked ninth in the country, Penn State, after dropping its first two games, has since won three straight and San Jose State is 4-1 and receiving votes in the coaches poll.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and San Jose State will meet for just the second time on the gridiron when they square off at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm and the game is presented by BB&T.
• San Jose State defeated Navy last year, 27-24, in San Jose. The loss knocked the Midshipmen out of a bowl game and ended Navy’s eight-year run of playing in the postseason.
• Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick Burch calling the action.
• The Navy Football Tailgate Show on WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM will air at 1:30 pm with Pete Medhurst and Joe Miller live from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• The Navy Football Pregame Show with Bob Socci, Omar Nelson and Pete Medhurst will get underway at 2:30 pm, followed by game action beginning at 3:30 pm on the Navy Radio Network.
• Following the contest, Joe Miller and Pete Medhurst will recap the day’s events in a 60-minute postgame show live on WNAV 1430 AM / 99.9 FM and WFED 1050 AM.
• The tailgate show, the pregame show, the game and the postgame show are available over the internet to Navy All-Access subscribers. You can also check the web sites of the individual stations for live streaming of the game.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivities will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:09 pm. The march-on will be broadcast live for Navy All-Access subscribers.
• Saturday’s fly-over will be two F-18’s and will take place at 3:31:10 pm. The pilots are from VFA-204 “River Rattlers” out of New Orleans, La.
• At the third timeout of the first quarter, the Naval Academy Athletic Association will recognize Lt. Brad Snyder who recently won two gold medals and one silver at the Paralympic Games in London.
• Snyder is a 2006 graduate of the Naval Academy and served as team captain his season year. Snyder’s service assignment was Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer and he served a tour in Iraq before returning to the U.S. and then began serving a tour in Afghanistan in April, 2011.
• On September 7, 2011, Snyder was providing aid to two Afghan soldiers who were victims of an improvised explosive device explosion when he detonated an IED himself. The blast was centered on his face and resulted in him losing his eyesight in both eyes.
• Snyder resumed swimming in the fall of 2011 and qualified for the 2012 Paralympics after shaving more than 40 seconds off his time. On the first day of competition in the Paralympics, he won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle and the silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle.
• On Sept. 7, 2012, one year to the day of losing his eyesight, Snyder competed in and won the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle. The following day, Snyder was selected by his teammates to carry the U.S. flag during the closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. He then helped to present the flag to the President when all Olympians and Paralympians visited the White House.
• Between the first and second quarter, the Naval Academy Athletic Association will honor the Navy women’s lacrosse team. Head coach Cindy Timchal guided the Mids to their third straight Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012. Navy (18-3, 6-0 Patriot League) won a program-record 18 games and finished the season ranked No. 14 in the national RPI rankings and No. 19 in the deBeer Media Poll.
• In 2012, Timchal became the first college lacrosse coach to win 400 games and earned induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
• Timchal was also named the 2012 Patriot League Coach of the Year. Junior attacker Jasmine DePompeo was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and to the IWLCA All-South Region squad, Loren Generi was named the league’s rookie of the year and Kathy Young was the MVP of the league’s postseason tournament. Also, six Midshipmen earned first or second-team all-league honors.
• The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform at halftime.

Scouting San Jose State
• The Spartans are off to a 3-1 start with victories over UC Davis (45-13), Colorado State (40-20) and at San Diego State (38-34). San Jose State’s only loss came at then-No. 21 Stanford, 20-17. The Cardinal are currently ranked eighth in the country and own a victory over USC.
• Junior college quarterback David Fales has been lighting it up for the Spartans, completing 72 percent of his passes. Fales has thrown nine touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
• Fales’ favorite targets are Noel Grigsby and Jabari Carr. Both lead the team with 22 receptions. Chandler Jones has five touchdown catches among his 13 receptions.
• De’Leon Eskridge leads the Spartan rushing attack with 298 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries.
• Vince Buhagiar is the leading tackler with 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks, while Cullen Newsome has 29 tackles and one pass break-up.
• San Jose State ranks fourth in the nation in sacks per game (4.25), 13th in passing efficiency (170.9), 17th in kickoff returns (27.6) and 20th in passing offense (305.8)
• Travis Johnson ranks fourth in the nation in tackles for a loss (2.4) and sacks (1.5) per game, while punter Harrison Waid ranks tied for 13th (45.4 per game) in punting average and Fales is 21st in passing efficiency (162.97)

The Last Time … San Jose State 27, Navy 24 Nov. 19, 2011 | San Jose, Calif.
• Navy was knocked out of postseason play after going to eight-straight bowl games when the Mids lost at San Jose State, 27-24, in front of 25,114 at Spartan Stadium.
• The Navy offense started poorly gaining just 17 yards on its first two drives. Jens Alvernik capped a six-play, 34-yard drive with a 44-yard field goal on San Jose State’s first possession and running back Brandon Rutley scored from three yards out on the Spartans’ second drive as San Jose State jumped out to a 10-0 lead.
• The Mids finally got on the board early in the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Kriss Proctor. The scoring drive was set up when Tra’ves Bush picked off a pass that was batted in the air by Matt Warrick.
• After Navy forced San Jose to go three and out, the Mids scored in three plays to take a 14-10 lead as Proctor hit wide receiver Brandon Turner for 29 yards and then two plays later Aaron Santiago scored on a phenomenal 35-yard touchdown run.
• The Navy defense, however, would give the momentum right back to San Jose as it allowed the Spartans to march down the field (80 yards, 10 plays, 4:27) which was capped off by a Rutley one-yard touchdown run to make the score 17-14 Spartans.
• Navy looked to answer when the Mids had slot back John Howell wide open 40 yards down the field on a first-and-10 play from the San Jose 46, but Proctor lost control of the ball and the fumble was recovered by San Jose’s Vince Bhaglar.
• The fumble led to an Alvernik 23-yard field goal with 32 seconds left in the half to give San Jose State a 20-14 lead at intermission.
• The Mids drove down to the San Jose State three-yard line in the third, but had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Jon Teague.
• The Mids took a 24-20 lead as Proctor scored from two yards out with 2:05 left in the third.
• San Jose, however, marched 73 yards on six plays with Faulkner hitting Jabari Carr with a 13-yard touchdown to give the Spartans a 27-24 lead with 14:56 left in the game.
• On Navy’s next drive, freshman holder Pablo Beltran fumbled the snap on what would have been a 45-yard field goal attempt by Teague and the Mids’ scoring drive came up empty. Navy would get the ball back two more times, but failed to score on either possession.

Navy Versus The WAC
• Navy is 2-1 (.667) all-time against teams currently in the WAC. The Mids are 2-0 against Louisiana Tech and 0-1 against San Jose State. The Mids play host to WAC member Texas State on Nov. 17.
• Other schools that make up the WAC include Texas-San Antonio, Utah State, New Mexico State and Idaho.

Quessenberry vs. Quessenberry
• There is a good chance that brothers Paul and David Quessenberry will meet head-on in Saturday’s game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
• Paul, 6-2 and 230 pounds, is a sophomore defensive end for Navy that has worked his way into the rotation at defensive end. In three games, Quessenberry has recorded five tackles and a half sack.
• David, 6-6 and 295 pounds, is a senior offensive tackle for San Jose State that has played in 39 games and made 27 starts for the Spartans. He was a Second-Team All-WAC performer as a junior and was a preseason first-team selection this year. He was also named to the 2012 Lombardi Award watch list and is one of four team captains for the Spartans.

Navy Nuggets
• Playing Notre Dame in Dublin and Penn State at State College was the toughest first two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two FBS opponents just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did Navy go on to have a winning record.
• Navy lost to Maryland in Baltimore and at home against Stanford to start the 2005 season and finished 8-4; lost to Virginia and at Boston College in 1992 and finished 1-10; beat Virginia and lost at Indiana in 1986 and finished 3-8; won at North Carolina and lost to Virginia in 1984 and finished 4-6-1; lost at Virginia and to Mississippi State at home to start the year in 1983 and finished 3-8; beat Virginia and lost to Arkansas in Little Rock in 1982 and finished 6-5; beat Virginia and won at Penn State in 1974 and finished 4-7.
• The Mids have been shut out in the first quarter in seven of the last 11 games dating back to last year and have not scored a touchdown in the first quarter in 10 of the last 12 games.
• The Mids have been outscored 30-3 in the first quarter this year and 82-23 in the first quarter over the last 12 games dating back to last year.
• Navy owns a 16-6 (.727) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Ken Niumataloloand is 17-17 (.500) away from home.
• Navy has already turned the ball over 10 times this year (eight lost fumbles and two interceptions) after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011 (nine lost fumbles and six interceptions).
• Navy led the country in fewest penalties last year with just 28. However, it has already committed 16 penalties in the first three games, including seven each against Penn State and VMI. It is the first time Navy has been whistled for seven penalties or more in back-to-back games since 2000 (12 against Tulane and nine against Wake Forest).
• In Navy’s last six wins it has outscored the opposition, 118-34, in the first half, including 46-3 in the first quarter.
• In Navy’s 33 wins under Niumatalolo, the Mids have outscored the opposition 519-311 in the first half, including 258-108 in the first quarter
• In the Mids’ last nine losses, Navy has been outscored, 199-69, in the first half, including 86-10 in the first quarter.
• In Navy’s 23 losses under Niumatalolo, the Mids have been outscored 444-218 in the first half, including 202-71 in the first quarter.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 21-3 (.875) when leading after the first quarter and 12-20 (.375) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy has been held under 300 yards rushing in eight of its last 15 games and the Mids are just 1-7 (.125) in those games (Army is the lone win).
• The Mids are 18-5 (.783) under Niumatalolo when rushing for 300 yards or more and 15-18 (.455) when the offense is held under 300 yards rushing.
• Navy is 27-4 (.870) under Niumatalolo when scoring first and 6-19 (.240) when the opponent scores first. Navy had lost the last nine games (over the last three years) when the opposition scores first before beating VMI last Saturday.
• An opposing running back has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Navy in nine of the last 15 contests. In the previous 40 games, Navy surrendered only nine 100-yard rushing games to opposing running backs.

Setting the Stage
• Navy and VMI will meet for the ninth time on the gridiron when they square off at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000) in Annapolis, Md. on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm and the game is presented by USAA.
• Navy leads the all-time series, 8-0, over the Keydets in a series that dates back to 1898. The last meeting came in 2003 when the Mids won, 37-10, in Annapolis.
• The game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network with Grant Boone, Todd Christensen and Sheehan Stanwick Burch calling the action.

Game Day Festivities
• Pregame festivites will get underway at approximately 1:00 pm with the Navy Football Team Walk. Originating at the Blue Angel in the southwest corner of the stadium, the team will make its way down the sidewalk and through NavyFest before walking up the drive to the stadium. Fans are encouraged to line up on both sides of the sidewalk to cheer for the team.
• The March-On of the Brigade of Midshipmen will take place at 3:09 pm. The march-on will be broadcast live for free on Navy All-Access.
• Saturday’s fly-over will take place at 3:31:10 pm and will consist of two FA-18 Hornets from Oceana, Va. The pilots will be Lt. Tony Kopp (`07) and Lt. Adam Kyle (`07).
• Between the first and second quarter, the Naval Academy will be recognized for winning the 2012 Patriot League President’s Cup. Head coaches or representatives from the following Patriot League championship teams will be recognized: men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, golf and women’s outdoor track & field.
• The Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps will perform at halftime.
• Following the game, both teams’ alma maters will be played.

Scouting VMI
• The Keydets are 1-2 on the year, losing to Delaware State (17-10) and Richmond (47-6) and defeating Chowan (24-17).
• David Turner leads VMI in rushing with 113 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
• Quarterback Eric Kordenbrock has completed 64 of his 107 pass attempts (59.8 pct.) for 646 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. His favorite target is James Rogers, who has 11 catches for 111 yards.
• Linebacker Ty Garvin has recorded 24 tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack.
• Punt returner James Fruchan is 18th in the FCS in punt returns, averaging 11.4 yards per return.

The Last Time … Navy 37, VMI 10 Aug. 3, 2003 | Annapolis, Md.
• Fullback Kyle Eckel rushed for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Craig Candeto added two touchdowns as Navy routed VMI, 37-10, in front of 30,129 fans at newly-refurbished Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The win for Navy was its first at home since Nov. 13, 1999, when the Mids defeated Tulane.
• Navy jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead thanks to an efficient offense and a stout defense. After going three and out on its first series, the offense scored on four straight possessions.
• Tony Lane got the Mids on the board when he scored from 18 yards out on a fourth-and-three play with 7:05 left in the first.
• The Mids scored three times in the second quarter as Eckel scored on touchdown runs of three and two yards and Candeto scored from three yards out.
• The defense played one of its best halves in recent memory, holding VMI to 109 yards of total offense, including 25 yards on the ground.
• After a sloppy third quarter and a 58-minute delay due to lightning, the Mids put the game away early in the fourth quarter as Candeto scored on a two-yard touchdown run and Geoff Blumenfeld made a 42-yard field goal.
• Junior slot back Eric Roberts added 52 yards rushing on four carries, while Lane had 50 yards rushing on three carries.
• Candeto completed seven of his 16 pass attempts for 161 yards. Freshman Jason Tomlinson and junior Amir Jenkins had three catches apiece.
• Jeff Vanak led the Navy defense with seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a key forced fumble in the third quarter that was recovered by Josh Smith. Smith led the Mids with 11 tackles.

Navy Versus The Big South
• Navy is 8-0 (1.000) all-time against teams currently in the Big South. VMI is the only school Navy has played from the conference.
• Other schools that make up the Big South include Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb, Liberty, Presbyterian and Stony Brook (who plays Army next week and nearly knocked off Syracuse last week).

Old Dominion State
• Navy has just five players hailing from the state of Virginia.
• Junior wide receiver Matt Aiken (Roanoke), sophomore kicker Colin Amerau (Alexandria), freshman kicker Austin Grebe (Stafford), freshman wide receiver Marc Meier (Chesapeake) and freshman corner Edward Robinson(Chesapeake).
• Aiken is a starter that has missed the first two games with a knee injury. He is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Keydets.
• Amerau has handled Navy’s kickoffs this fall.

Navy Nuggets
• Navy is 0-2 for the first time since 2005 when the Mids started 0-2 with losses to Maryland and Stanford. That Navy team went on to finish 8-4, win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy and defeat Colorado State, 51-30, in the Poinsettia Bowl. The Mids have not started 0-3 since 2001 when Navy finished 0-10.
• Playing Notre Dame in Dublin and Penn State at State College has been arguably the toughest first two games in school history.
• In the last 40 years, Navy has started the year with two FBS opponents just eight times and only twice (2005 and 1982) did Navy go on to have a winning record.
• Navy lost to Maryland in Baltimore and at home against Stanford to start the 2005 season and finished 8-4; lost to Virginia and at Boston College in 1992 and finished 1-10; beat Virginia and lost at Indiana in 1986 and finished 3-8; won at North Carolina and lost to Virginia in 1984 and finished 4-6-1; lost at Virginia and to Mississippi State at home to start the year in 1983 and finished 3-8; beat Virginia and lost to Arkansas in Little Rock in 1982 and finished 6-5; beat Virginia and won at Penn State in 1974 and finished 4-7.
• Navy has been outscored 84-17 to start the season. It’s the Mids’ largest combined two-game deficit (-67 points) since 2001 when Navy opened the season with a 45-26 loss to Temple and then lost to Georgia Tech, 70-7 (82 combined points).
• The Mids have been shut out in the first quarter in seven of the last 10 games dating back to last year and have not scored a touchdown in the first quarter in nine of the last 11 games.
• Navy owns a 15-6 (.714) record in games played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under Ken Niumataloloand is 17-17 (.500) away from home.
• Navy has already turned the ball over eight times this year after committing just 15 turnovers in 2011. The Mids have lost six fumbles in the first two games after losing just nine fumbles all of last year.
• The Mids have not scored a touchdown in the first half in consecutive games for the first time since 2001 (Temple and Georgia Tech).
• Navy led the country in fewest penalties last year with just 28. However, it has already committed nine penalties this year, including seven against Penn State.
• In Navy’s last five wins it has outscored the opposition, 105-31, in the first half, including 43-0 in the first quarter. In Navy’s 32 wins under Niumatalolo, the Mids have outscored the opposition 506-308 in the first half, including 255-105 in the first quarter
• In the Mids’ last nine losses, Navy has been outscored, 199-69, in the first half, including 86-10 in the first quarter. In Navy’s 23 losses under Niumatalolo, the Mids have been outscored 444-218 in the first half, including 202-71 in the first quarter.
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 21-3 (.875) when leading after the first quarter and 11-20 (.355) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• Navy has been held below 300 yards rushing in eight of its last 14 games and is just 1-7 (.125) in those games (Army is the lone win).
• The Mids are 17-5 (.773) under Niumatalolo when rushing for 300 yards or more and 15-18 (.455) when the offense is held under 300 yards rushing.
• Navy is 27-4 (.870) under Niumatalolo when scoring first and 5-19 (.208) when the opponent scores first. Navy has lost the last nine games (over the last three years) when the opposition scores first. Navy’s last win after an opponent scores first was on Oct. 16, 2010, when Navy fell behind SMU, 14-0, before rallying for a 28-21 victory.
• An opposing running back has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Navy in nine of the last 14 contests. In the previous 40 games, Navy surrendered only nine 100-yard rushing games to opposing running backs.
• This is the latest home opener for the Mids since 1995 when Navy played host to Wake Forest on Sept. 23.
• Navy is 4-0 under head coach Ken Niumatalolo in home openers with victories over Towson, Louisiana Tech, Georgia Southern and Delaware.